Refrigerator-package arrangement



Oct. 25, 1966 w. K. BROWN ETAL REFRIGERATOR-PACKAGE ARRANGEMENT Filed July 30, 1965 w% m W 0 WW MM United States Patent REFRIGERATGR-PAQKAGE ARRANGEMENT Wallace K. Brown, Hoytsville, Utah, and Stuart W. Rabb,

Lake lilult, 11L, assigrors to Container Corporation of America, Chicago, 111., and Dairy King Sales & Service Corporation, Salt Lake (Iity, Utah Filed July 30, 1965, Ser. No. 476,084 Claims. (Cl. 623) This invention relates to the packaging of liquids in plastic bags disposed within paperboard boxes and more particularly to an improved arrangement for refrigerating packages of this type.

The invention comprehends the combination of a refrigerator, preferably of the thermo-electric type, and a package, consisting of a plastic bag in a paperboard box, which are especially formed and arranged for cooperation with each other to obtain efficient refrigerating conditions.

Packages of this type are especially suitable for use in the packaging and dispensing of bulk liquids, such as milk, directly from a small refrigerator located at one or more stations on a restaurant counter.

With relatively small refrigerators, that is those designed to hold one package containing 4-12 quarts of liquid, it is important to have an eflicient cooling rate, and this is sometimes difiicult because the lack of space between the outer surface of the package and the inner surface of the refrigerator greatly minimizes the amount of air which can be circulated around the package by convection currents.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide, in a combination bag-in-box package and refrigerator, means for expediting the cooling of the contents of the package.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision, in a combination package and refrigerator of the type described, of a paperboard, outer box having a readily removable cut-out to provide an opening which will permit an adjacent portion of an inner, liquid containing bag, to bulge outwardly and come into contact with a portion of the refrigerator at which a cooling module is located.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from an examination of the following description and drawing wherein;

FIGURE 1 is a perspective of a combination composite package and refrigerator embodying features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2--2 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a reduced perspective of the box illustrated in FIGURE 2.

It will be understood that certain elements have been intentionally omitted from certain views where they are illustrated to better advantage in other views.

Referring now to the drawing for a better understanding of the invention, and particularly to FIGURE 1, it will be seen that there is shown a relatively small refrigerator, indicated generally at R, and which is preferably of the thermo-electric type adapted to contain a composite package, indicated generally at P, which includes an inner, flexible, plastic bag disposed within an outer, paperboard box.

Composite packages of this type are especially suitable for use in the packaging of liquids such as milk. The package may be provided with spouts and flaps suitable for dispensing with mechanisms of the type described in United States Letters Patent No. 3,116,854, or with similar dispensing means, and they are especially desirable for use in connection with small refrigerators adapted to hold one or two packages of this type. These combination packages and refrigerators are especially adaptable for use at one or more stations on a counter of a restaurant where it is necessary to distribute cool milk rapidly and efliciently from bulk containers.

Still referring to the drawing it will be seen that the refrigerator, indicated generally at R, is preferably of the thermo-electric type and comprises a housing, indicated generally at 10, having a side wall 12 which, together with the other walls of the housing, forms an interior space 14 adapted to receive the composite package P.

Mounted on the exterior of the housing in a convenient location, such as on the outside of the side Wall 12, is a heat exchange unit 16, the details of which are not disclosed in this application as they do not form a part of this invention. Disposed within the refrigerator housing and mounted in side wall 12, so as to be flush with the interior surface of the side wall, are a pair of cooling modules 18 which are preferably in the form of small rectangular plates. The details of the cooling modules and their connection to the heat exchanger are not disclosed in detail in this application, as they do not form an essential feature of the invention. However, it will be understood that the cooling plate is the primary source of heat removal within the interior space 14 of the refrigerator housing.

The essence of the invention in this case resides in the cooperation between the cooling modules and the composite package.

As best seen in FIGURE 3, the package includes a .plastic bag 20 disposed within a paperboard box 22 which has a side wall 24. The box side Wall is provided with cut lines to form a pair of cut-outs or punch-outs 28 which may be readily removed before the package is placed into the refrigerator. Upon removal of the cutouts 28 there are provided a pair of openings 29 in the side wall of the paperboard box.

The purpose of the openings 29 in the box side wall is to aflord the plastic bag the opportunity to bulge outwardly so as to come in direct contact with the cooling modules which are located directly opposite the openings in the box.

By providing this direct contact between the inner bag and the cooling modules in the side wall of the refrigerator the cooling of the contents of the package is greatly expedited, and, even though there is little space between the refrigerator inside wall and the package outside wall to permit much distribution of air by Way of convection currents, the contents of the bag can be cooled by convection currents of the contents flowing within the bag as they are cooled by the direct contact with the refrigerator modules.

We claim:

1. A refrigerator and package arrangement, comprising in combination:

(a) a thermoelectric [refrigerator including:

(i) a housing having a wall;

(ii) a heat exchange unit mounted on the outside of said side wall;

(iii) a heat transfer plate mounted in said Wall within said housing;

(b) a composite package including:

(i) and outer, rigid, paperboard box; (ii) an inner flexible, plastic bag of liquid disposed within the box;

(0) said box having a wall with a portion which is readily removable to provide therein an opening disposed for alignment with the heat transfer plate of the refrigerator, when the box is positioned within the refrigerator to permit an adjacent portion of the inner bag to bulge outwardly through said opening and into direct contact with said heat transfer plate to facilitate cooling of said liquid.

3,280,573 3 4 2. A refrigerator and package arrangement, comprising a thermo-electric refrigerator having a heat transfer elein combination: ment mounted in a wall within its interior, said package (a) a refrigerator including: including:

(i) a housing having awall; (a) an outer, rigid, paperboard box; (ii) a 'heat transfer element mounted in said wall 5 (b) an inner flexible, plastic bag of liquid disposed within'said housing; within the box; (b) acomposite package including: (c) said box having a wall with a portion which is (i) an outer, rigid, paperboard boX; readily removable to provide therein an'opening dis- (ii) an inner flexible, plastic bag of liquid disposed for alignment with the heat transfer element posed within the box; of the refrigerator when the box is positioned within (c) said box having a wall with a portion which is readily removable to provide therein an opening disposed for alignment with the heat transfer element the refrigerator, to permit an adjacent portion of the inner bag to bulge outwardly through said opening and into direct contact with said heat transfer element to facilitate cooling of said liquid. 5. A composite package for liquid adapted for use with a refrigerator having a heat transfer element mounted in a wall within its interior, said package including:

(a) an outer, rigid, container; (b) an inner flexible container disposed within the outer container; (0) said outer container having a wall with a portion which is readily removable to provide therein an opening disposed for alignment with the heat transfer element of the refrigerator when the outer container is positioned within the refrigerator, to permit an adjacent portion of the inner container to bulge outwardly through said opening and into direct con vtact with said heat transfer element to facilitate cooling of said contents of said inner container.

of the refrigerator, when the box is positioned within the refrigerator, to permit an adjacent portion of the inner bag to bulge outwardly through said opening and into direct contact with said heat transfer element to facilitate cooling of said liquid.

3. A refrigerator and package arrangement, comprising in combination:

(a) a refrigerator including:

(i) a housing having a wall; (ii) a heat transfer element, mounted in said wall within said housing;

(b) a composite package including;

(i) an outer, rigid, container; (ii) an inner flexible, container disposed within the outer container;

(0) said outer container having a wall with a portion which is readily removable to provide therein an opening dis-posed for alignment with the heat transfer element of the refrigerator, when the outer container is positioned within the refrigerator, to

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,831,610 4/1958 Dennie 222-183 permit an ad acent portion of the lnner container to 3 078 018 2/1963 Galloway 222 183 bulge outwardly through said opening and into direct 3:088:289 5/1963 Alex contact with said heat transfer element to faciliate 3 17 39 4 19 5 Sandsto cooling of the contents of said inner container.

4. A composite package for liquid adapted for use with WILLIAM J. WYE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A REFRIGERATOR AND PACKAGE ARRANGEMENT, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A THERMO-ELECTRIC REFRIGERATOR INCLUDING: (I) A HOUSING HAVING A WALL; (II) A HEAT EXCHANGE UNIT MOUNTED ON THE OUTSIDE OF SAID SIDE WALL; (III) A HEAT TRANSFER PLATE MOUNTED IN SAID WALL WITHIN SAID HOUSING; (B) A COMPOSITE PACKAGE INCLUDING: (I) AND OUTER, RIGID, PAPERBOARD BOX; (II) AN INNER FLEXIBLE, PLASTIC BAG OF LIQUID DISPOSED WITHIN THE BOX; (C) SAID BOX HAVING A WALL WITH A PORTION WHICH IS READILY REMOVABLE TO PROVIDE THEREIN AN OPERNING DISPOSED FOR ALIGNMENT WITH THE HEAT TRANSFER PLATE OF THE REFRIGERATOR, WHEN THE BOX IS POSITIONED WITHIN THE REFRIGERATOR TO PERMIT AN ADJACENT PORTION OF THE INNER BAG TO BULGE OUTWARDLY THROUGH SAID OPENING AND INTO DIRECT CONTACT WITH SAID HEAT TRANSFER PLATE TO FACILITATE COOLING OF SAID LIQUID. 